Key current professional challenge: My financial advisory practice grows tremendously each year, and I need to determine if now is the right time to hire associate advisers, if that is the direction I decide to go.

HUDSON - Brian Lavoie uses his knack for numbers to benefit his clients and the community at large.

Lavoie is a certified financial planner serving clients from a spectrum of ages and wealth but sharing a common motivation to improve their financial shape. He understands the leap of faith involved in trusting him with personal money management, Lavoie said.

"My main focus is just being the best at whatever I do and always doing the best by my clients," Lavoie said.

Lavoie lends his financial expertise to a number of charitable organizations. He concentrates on fundraising in his role as chairman of the board of directors for the Southern New Hampshire branch of Friends of the Norris Cotton Cancer Center. The organization's low overhead allows 100 percent of the proceeds to go to research and treatment.

"It's a very rewarding cause," Lavoie said.

Lavoie also serves on the board of trustees for Symphony NH of Nashua.

While working with the orchestra, Lavoie noticed that the Edmund M. Keefe Memorial Auditorium, now the Edmund Keefe Center for the Arts, had taken on a rundown look and feel. He brought the idea of a renovation to the Greater Nashua Arts Initiative, and the group immediately embraced the cause.

"The project went in an incredible direction," Lavoie said.

The Indigo Girls performed as part of the fundraising efforts, and the concert became an important event for the city.

"We really highlighted the fact that this could work," Lavoie said. "It is the largest facility of its type in the state and that means something."

The auditorium's facelift included painting top to bottom, new acoustic panels, LED lighting, a new sound system, and improvements to make it more energy efficient.

As an alumni volunteer, Lavoie annually interviews two to six high school seniors applying to Dartmouth College.

"My role is not to sit in judgment. It's more informational," Lavoie said.

In the end he wants to be sure the decision is a good fit for both.

To help keep new college graduates in New Hampshire, Lavoie volunteers with IUGO, an offshoot of the Chamber of Commerce offering social and personal development events to make the local community more desirable to young professionals.

Lavoie likes the idea of supporting local organizations that make the community a better place, he said. He enjoys the variety of his volunteer work and finds working with other volunteers personally rewarding.

"I genuinely have enjoyed my work with these organizations," Lavoie said.

Class of 2017 Nominations

Please summarize below the nominee's professional and volunteer accomplishments, and other special factors that you feel make them deserving of this recognition. Please include complete contact information for nominee.

For more information on the 40 Under 40 program, contact Shannon K. Sullivan, Community Relations Manager, 603-206-7833 or ssullivan@unionleader.com.

Guidelines

Nominees must not turn 40 before Feb. 1, 2018.

Must have lived in the state for the past three years. Candidates may nominate themselves.

Previous winners are not eligible.

Feel free to resubmit updated nominations for prior candidates who have not yet been honored.

Selections are not final until announced.

Candidates should have already contributed significantly to their field, their community and/or the state and should have the potential to do much more in future years.